Class division and snobbery at Edinburgh?

Original post by AlexanderTheGreat

Edinburgh is the only middle-class city in Scotland.

Hmm. You've clearly not been to parts of Glasgow, and you've clearly not been to parts of Edinburgh.

University of Edinburgh

Reply 21

septemberboy

i've grown up attending international schools, so i've actually been privately educated for over a decade. i have an offer to study at University of Edinburgh which i've taken as my insurance choice.

.. and i just wanted to voice my disappointment at the kinds of labels many of you seem to be putting on privately educated students! :frown:

i don't come from a particularly wealthy family as such, we're just another standard modern family. in fact, there's a camera i really want, which i've been saving up for since the beginning of the year (and still haven't bought..), because my mother isn't the kind to splash out money on something i suddenly want. she might get me one for my birthday, but that's probably the same with most other students..?

anyway, my point is probably this: try not to be so hasty in your dismissal of this 'Ugg-wearing, privately educated' class! you can't contain anyone in a label, just look at me! i'm privately educated, but nothing's ever come free. i'm studying to meet my offers just like local students, and am hoping to get a degree and eventually lead an independent life too.

Reply 22

Original post by dizzy177

Thank you all, i feel a bit better about it now, it's a pretty minor problem with an amazing uni tbh. Just got to get my 3 As now! Anyone studying English and/or Philosophy?

Hope you make it and glad you are applying to come here. Edinburgh has a terrific university student life and if you approach people with an open mind and a friendly spirit you will get on fine. I went to a posh private school and there are people from that and many other backgrounds in the uni and they rub along pretty well. For sure people have their own social groups and circles but not everyone who went to private school has a stuck-up or exclusionary attitude and not everyone who went to state school hates our guts. :smile:

Zara

Reply 23

AlexanderTheGreat

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Hmm. You've clearly not been to parts of Glasgow, and you've clearly not been to parts of Edinburgh.

I meant it as an 'overall' judgement.

Reply 24

lovemolly

Hi everyone,

I studied my undergraduate at Edinburgh, and it's a wonderful place. This thread is a bit short-sighted though! I hope this hasn't put anyone off..

I am from a very, very 'working-class' area, and a very working class family. I am the first in my family to have gone to university. I was conscious of this when I first went to university, but that's just part of going somewhere where people from different backgrounds, and from all over the world meet.

Yes, there are irritating 'rahs' who think they are better than everyone else. Yes, they are very noticeable. However, it's ridiculous to label everyone like this. One of my flatmates in my first year was as 'rah' as they come, but she was a lovely individual when I got to know her, which really taught me to not judge everyone. Also- you can choose your friends. Get over the fact that people are from different backgrounds! It's great that Edinburgh attracts people from all kinds of homes and countries.

Reply 25

Original post by lovemolly

That's a really good recommendation - I agree so much, I think Edinburgh is really a great mixing college and has people rubbing along well from every type of background. You seem to have the right approach.

Reply 26

Is everything OK on the racism front? From what I've heard Edinburgh is very international and everywhere I've been I haven't experienced any racism at all, but you know, the stories about Indian students getting stabbed in the UK scares me a bit... That won't happen if you stay away from the 'bad' parts and wrong crowd, right?

I'm guessing it's better than big English cities like London and Manchester when it comes to that?

Reply 27

Original post by dizzy177

Thank you all, i feel a bit better about it now, it's a pretty minor problem with an amazing uni tbh. Just got to get my 3 As now! Anyone studying English and/or Philosophy?

Doing English! :biggrin:

Hopefully, if I make my offer. Also planning on taking Philosophy and Illustration as outside subjects :smile:

Reply 28

Original post by saachi

You would probably need to hear from students from Asian backgrounds, etc, to get an inside view. You don't hear about a lot of trouble of that kind affecting students but there are incidents in the City described as racial attacks. I don't know how it compares with other large UK cities. Edinburgh does have crime, it's a large city and like any large city, you need to be a little bit street-wise and think about where you walk alone at night, etc.

Reply 29

Original post by saachi

The UK's fine - we're multicultural enough that people won't even look twice at an Indian on the street (which is more than you can say for many parts of India as a Brit!). If you get stabbed in Edinburgh it'll be either because you're plain unlucky or were (figuratively) asking for it - I've said it many times, Edinburgh is pretty damn safe, really.

Reply 30

AlexanderTheGreat

Original post by saachi

Scotland is a lot less racially tolerant than England, especially in Edinburgh. However, it's not that bad. I was speaking to a black guy a few months ago as I went for some fresh air after being stuck in a night club all night. He told me that he got beat up severely because he was black not far from the West End. Meh.

If I'm to be frank, if you're not religious (unless you're a Christian) you should be fine. Most students won't be bothered if you're 'mixed race' or have an Indian accent. The locals might be though. I wouldn't worry about it too much though. Edinburgh is a great place to live and study, just never get into an argument with any native. And by native I mean Briton.

Reply 31

Original post by AlexanderTheGreat

Ok that's good then. Because I'm not religious, and I don't have a strong Indian accent at all. Actually I hate it when they exaggerate the Indian accent in English movies and TV shows! :tongue:

We don't speak like that at all! I usually pass for Caucasian wherever go because my mum's from the north and we barely look Indian but I was just a bit worried that there would be certain racist groups that discriminate against people for no reason besides the fact that they're foreigners. I've never gotten into fights over these kind of differences, I'm extremely tolerant of all sorts of people, so yeah don't really have a reason to worry, I suppose...

A boy in my school, his brother got murdered in Georgia Tech (USA) without provocation, purely on the grounds of his race :frown:

It was so sad! They just entered his room and murdered him, and the US law hasn't done anything about it.

But yeah, I guess there's no need to worry with Edinburgh then! :smile:

Reply 32

Original post by AlexanderTheGreat

Scotland is a lot less racially tolerant than England, especially in Edinburgh.

What complete nonsense.

Reply 33

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

What complete nonsense.

Which part is nonsense, are you Asian and have you experienced racism in Edinburgh?

What I do sometimes come across in Edinburgh as an English girl with a "posh Southern" accent (actually I'm from Cheshire but went to PS) is Scottish people with a negative attitude towards "people like me". It doesn't happen a lot, but I think I've noticed it from time to time. Other people tell me similar things.

Reply 34

Original post by zara55

Which part is nonsense, are you Asian and have you experienced racism in Edinburgh?

No and yes. But xenophobia is a common trait in all parts of the world, so it's hardly surprising. The point is that Scotland, particularly relative to England, is not more racist. The BNP doesn't poll well in Scotland, it does in England. The Scottish executive is pursuing a pro-immigration policy, the Westminster government is not. Antagonism towards minorities in Scotland tends to be less than that found in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. I have never heard so much nonsense spouted about Edinburgh, Scotland or England as a whole, as I have from AlexanderTheGreat.

Reply 35

ArcadiaHouse

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

You get the upper classes at any decent university. Frankly, anywhere that doesn't attract them isn't worth attending...

Wow.

Reply 36

Original post by ArcadiaHouse

Wow.

You disagree, I take it? Why?

Reply 37

Original post by nearlyheadlessian

Yeah, that's what I always thought too :s-smilie:

I can maybe believe that the level of racism is the same in both England and Scotland (and even then, I'm guessing that level in both is very low without provocation) but I can't believe that there's more xenophobia in Scotland than in England. I just don't buy that.

Reply 38

laeof

I'm from a lower class background.
Ignore the whole snobbery thing people try to exaggerate.

Edinburgh has been nothing but friendy! Sure there were a lot of ugg-wearers/rars in chancellors courts, but that's in first year...and in chancellors court...most private school people are not like this...in fact most of the time I struggle to tell who is private schooled and who was not.

It's the most friendly city i've ever been in. All students are happy to talk to you and don't look down because of a different schools setting, they don't care.

There's only person in my 3 years here that seemed to look down on people who didn't go to private school, and always seemed to not want to speak to anyone who wasn't...but no-one liked her :wink:

...not from our halls anyway.

Reply 39